A DNA test. A disgruntled kin left outside of the will. These are all the elements that threatened to stall the burial of Kenya Primary School Headteachers Association chair Johnson Nzioka who died in a grisly road accident.
A back and forth in the Kenyan courts on Thursday, February 27, saw orders stopping the burial issued and later thrown away paving the way for Nzioka’s burial which is set for Friday, February 27.
The protracted court battle arose after a woman claiming to be the daughter of Nzioka went to court seeking orders to halt the burial until a DNA test was conducted.
In the documents forwarded to the courts, the woman claims that her mother was married to the deceased through Kamba customary marriage. Following their union, they established their matrimonial home in Thika where they lived for approximately eight years.
The woman claims she was born in 1997 and despite her parents’ separation in 1999, Nzioka had continued to provide emotional and financial support until his demise.
Consequently, a magistrate’s court has issued an order halting the burial of Nzioka until the DNA test was conducted.
The woman had sought the conduction of the DNA test demanding it be conducted by a government chemist under the supervision of representatives from both sides.
Justifying her demands, the woman revealed that she had attempted to participate in the burial arrangements and requested to be allowed to read her tribute during the ceremony only to be rebuffed.
She further claimed that since her father’s passing, the family members had been organising the funeral without her involvement. The family has allegedly denied her status as Nzioka’s daughter and argued that she had no right to participate in the burial.
However, to her utter dismay, the High Court threw away the orders barring the burial hours later directing Lee Funeral Home to release Nzioka’s body to his immediate family after collecting DNA samples.
The court noted that the petitioner did not prove her case or provide evidence of financial transactions indicating that the deceased was supporting her.
Nzioka died after he was involved in a road accident when his car rammed into a trailer near Athi River sustaining injuries to which he succumbed.
Reports indicated that he was travelling towards Nairobi along the busy road and his speeding car rammed into a trailer while trying to avoid hitting another vehicle.
Until his untimely demise, Nzioka was the headteacher of Donholm Primary School in Nairobi and was revered amongst his peers for his commitment to teaching.
The seasoned educationist has been a headteacher for over two decades in several schools across Nairobi.
In his capacity as the KEPSHA chair, he led over 24,000 primary school heads and more than eight million learners across the country.
